Hillside union ratifies contract

The new pact is a rollover of the concessionary
agreement accepted last year.

By WILLIAM K. ALCORN

VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER

HOWLAND — Hillside Rehabilitation Hospital nurses and technical and support staff have ratified a new one-year contract with Forum Health that includes a 3 percent across-the-board wage increase.

The work agreement was overwhelmingly approved Friday and goes into effect April 1, said Debbie Bindas, chief negotiator for American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 2288. The union represents 161 employees at the hospital.

The wage increase comes after an 18-month wage freeze, Bindas said.

The rest of the new contract, on which a tentative agreement was reached Feb. 6, is basically a rollover of the current concessionary pact that was accepted by employees about a year ago to help Forum Health survive, Bindas said. The current contract was set to expire March 31.

Among the concessions were the loss of a defined benefits pension and copayments for health insurance premiums and reduction in personal days, Bindas said.

“The new contract is very good for the membership and for the hospital,” she said.

Marilyn Titus, chief operating officer and vice president of Hillside, thanked union members for ratifying the new collective bargaining agreement and for their ongoing commitment and contributions to Hillside.

Bindas also is involved in talks with Forum on behalf of two AFSCME locals that represent a combined 1,350 employees at Trumbull Memorial Hospital in Warren.

They are Local 2804, which represents 850 service workers, whose contract expires March 31; and Local 2026, which represents 500 nurses.

Local 2026’s contract expired in September 2007, and its members are working on revolving 30-day extensions of the current pact, Bindas added.

alcorn@vindy.com